After Treatment: Dealing with Pain

[Mary]

My Visit with a Pain Specialist

For those of you who don't know, it's two years after my surgery, and I'm really limited by pain and lack of shoulder function.

I can't tell you how nice it is to tell a physician your story and have them actually understand how huge it is!

Surgeons act like it's all par for the course. I've been told that fusing the joint is my only option without even a hint of understanding as to what that means to me personally...by a surgeon of course.

Then I walk into Dr. Gossi's office and answer his questions. There were several times when his eyes got big and a few times when he looked at me and said, "OUCH." When I told him that fusing the joint has been presented as my surgical option, I wish you could have seen his response! He put his head down, shook it a bit and made a gasping sound. He sounded impressed about our group and said that he knows there is very little funding for "orphan diseases" like ours. He was totally impressed that I've found five others who have had humerus resections.

He's prescribed several medications. I'll update with the names of them when I get them from the pharmacy. I told him that I'd never been given much guidance about how much vicodin I could safely take and how worried I should be about addiction. He told me I could easily take up to four a day, and that I shouldn't worry about addiction since I have physical issues that are not going to change. This was shocking to me. I haven't been medicating enough. I knew it, but I needed to hear it from a doc.

In the end, he said that I have a "real predicament" with muscle and nerve pain that has been going on for two years, and that he'll see how tough I can be when experimenting with a bunch of new meds. I told him not to worry, I'm tough! He said, "Yeah, I guess so when you've been through hell and back." As he walked out the door, he said, "If you have any strange side effects: dry mouth, constipation, growing two heads, just give me a call."

Here goes. I am excited that maybe something he's prescribed will help! Let's hope!

[Mike]

That is great news Mary! It's amazing to find a doc who will actually listen and hear what your're saying. Sounds like he has a sense of humor too, I like that in a doc.

[Allan]

Found this site awhile ago it could help some.
Welcome to DoctorsforPain.com 's  Physician's Location Directory" created to help chronic pain patients locate a pain specialist in their area.

To locate a physician near you, click on the appropriate continent or use the search engine below.

If you are unable to locate a physician in your area in our directory, you can check with your local hospital's Department of Anesthesiology and see if they can help you or if you are located near a medical teaching university, they usually have a pain treatment facility.

The Location Directory is to be used only as intended.  You are prohibited from downloading, duplicating, republishing, renting or selling, in whole or in part, for the purpose of compiling a mailing list or any other type of list or establish independent data files for commercial or any other purpose.

http://www.doctorsforpain.com/physicians/index.html

[Jimmy]

I'm in your boat Mary. I need to go see a pain doc. I have had worries of addiction and side effects of the drugs. Now I have the terrible back pain that is driving me nuts. I am going to try to find a pain doc in my area who can give me some expert advice and keep me in line.

[Michelle]

That is so wonderful...He sounds wonderful.  I hope that the meds he is going to give you are going to do the trick!  I hope you dont grow another head------although then it would just be 'more' of you to LOVE!!

Peace,
Michelle

[Mary]

I just found a handy list of things that you can do to naturally increased your beta-endorphins. These chemicals lower pain levels! I do not know how scientific the list is, but I know that some of the things on the list work, so it makes sense.

http://www.recoverfromdepression.com/endorphins.htm

[Alan]

The trick with pain is to make sure that YOU control the pain and not the other way around! I take pain-killers a lot and also try to avoid thinking about it. I listen to good music and look at pictures of my grandchildren!

Don't be afraid to ask for help from your GP or a Pain Clinic. There is no shame in having to eat pills to deal with pain! I use a cocktail of Co-codomol, paracetomol, Diclofenac and amitriptylene (to help me sleep at night).

The occasional glass of Real Ale is also helpful!

[Mary]

Thanks for updating my link, Alan.  You are so right about controlling the pain. It is hard for many of us to "give in" and take medications. We somehow think that dealing with chronic pain is more natural than taking medication so that we can enjoy life like average people do.

The way I see it, once we've had serious surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiation, we are way gone from the natural path! We can do our best to consume healthy things and to get our exercise and all of that. But if we need medication to deal with all of the unnatural things we have already been through, well it seems kinda like a natural need! :-)

The list of good endorphin boosters is definitely one to learn. There are times when the activities on that list can help my pain just as much as a pill, so I have the option of using a healthy, natural pain reliever instead of taking a pill. There are other times when I just need the pill! Now!